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For six years the Rockville Express, a collegiate wood-bat baseball team, has been struggling to carve a place for itself in the hearts of hometown residents.

This year the team routinely drew less than 50 fans each game, while other Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League teams, like nearby Bethesda Big Train, drew nearly 700.

Several people point to a 5 p.m. start time for their weekday home games as the main culprit for the low attendance. Most Ripken league weeknight games start at 7 p.m.

"If it's 95 degrees outside and you don't have any sun cover you can forget about (drawing fans)," said Bruce Adams, president of Bethesda Big Train and one of the league's founders. "It can also be a problem for other teams in the league; not so much for us, but if you are coming from Baltimore, that's not fun."

In its six years the Express has poured about $500,000 into its home field at Montgomery College on the Rockville campus, leveling it, building stands, installing dugouts and last winter installing lights. The problem is the lights are never turned on.

"It's like the house is done, the foundation's there but they wont let you live in it," said Express Coach Angelo Nicolosi of Florida. "It's bizarre. I've never seen anything like this before."

The problem is money, said Janet Cubar, deputy chief facilities officer for Montgomery College.

"They didn't have enough money to complete the construction," Cubar said of the team. "They need to install the wire and hook it to the campus power grid."

Express President Jim Kazunas is confident the money will be there by next year. In 2008, the most recently available tax information, the league brought in more than $74,000.

Kazunas agrees that the lights need to be connected to the power grid.

"But that takes digging and we can't do it during the season," he said. "We are working on a couple changes and I think that is definitely going to make an impact."

Kazunas also hopes to build a press box and install an irrigation system.

Developing a competitive team has not been an issue for the Express. The Express won the Ripken League championship in 2007 and this year finished at 19-22, two and a half games out of a playoff spot. The Express also sent outfielder Stuart MacInnes to Puerto Rico with a Ripken League all-star team last week.

The Express is an original member of the eight-team Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Teams play about 40 games over two months. The league, a non-profit organization with teams in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., suburbs, spawned out of the long-standing Clark Griffith League.

Managers receive a stipend but teams operate mostly on volunteer help. Because of its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status the league must spend all of its profit.

The Express is selling tickets to Sunday's Washington Nationals game against the Arizona Diamondbacks as a fundraiser.

Adams said the league's goal is to develop good playing fields for youth players.

"We are one of these modern-day nonprofits that runs like a small business," Adams said. "Think (actor) Paul Newman and salad dressing, except we think it's more fun to sell baseball."

In addition to the work done by the Express at Montgomery College, Riken League teams have completely renovated Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda and Montgomery Blair High School's field in Silver Spring. Teams have also donated to high school baseball field renovations at Richard Montgomery in Rockville, Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Walter Johnson in Bethesda. Local little league organizations like Rockville Baseball Association and Montgomery County Baseball Association also use the renovated fields.

"I think (the) Silver Spring(/Takoma Park Thunderbolts) is the best example of what we are trying to do," Adams said. "We got really lucky in Bethesda with the economy and I had Jim Oursman (of Oursman Honda in Bethesda) working with me. Silver Spring has been able to develop community partnerships, get some food there and build a nice ballpark."

Even though the Express has been struggling for attendance, the team has had little problem raising money this year, Kazunas said. A main reason for the success was a set of baseball camps the team ran with the City of Rockville's help for little leaguers at Dogwood Park.

"We sold out our camps this year," Kazunas said. "That's part of it, too, working with the community."

There are several similarly patterned summer leagues throughout the country. The most famous being the Cap Cod Baseball League and Alaska Baseball League.

Those leagues usually draw the nation's top amateur talent. Pittsburgh Pirates scout Matt Wondolowski said the Cal Ripken League is a step below those leagues.

"It's a nice benchmark for us as scouts," Wondolowski said. "A big thing for the position players is swinging the wood bat for the fist time."

About a quarter of the players in the Ripken League get drafted and a handful will make the major leagues, Adams said.

Kazunas sees thinks both the league and team are on the rise. He also hopes more Rockville residents come out to cheer on the blue, orange and black.

"Every year we are getting better talent," Kazunas said. "We aren't as established as (Alaska and Cape Cod), but we are developing that kind of track record."

The Washington Nationals will donate a portion of online ticket sales to the Rockville Express baseball team for Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Nationals Park.

The game will start at 1:35 p.m. Ticket prices are $36 for leftfield corner seats ($28 for the game ticket, $8 for the donation) and $30 for the leftfield mezzanine seats ($23 for the game ticket, $7 for the donation).

The Nationals will make the donation to Rockville Community Baseball Inc., the volunteer, nonprofit organization that was formed to field the Rockville Express. Rockville Community Baseball works to improve youth sports facilities and opportunities in the greater D.C. area.

The Rockville Express is a college-level, wood bat baseball team.

Tickets and additional information are available at www.nationals.com/rockvillebaseball. Tickets must be purchased through the link in order for the donations to count toward the Rockville organization.

-Baltimore Redbirds

Cockeysville

410-802-2220

-Bethesda Big Train

Bethesda

301-983-1006

www.bigtrain.org

-Rockville Express

Rockville

www.rockvilleexpress.org

-Silver Spring-Takoma T-Bolts

Takoma Park

301-270-0794

www.tbolts.org

-Southern Maryland Nationals

Saint Leonard

301-751-6299

-Youse's Orioles

Baltimore

410-477-3764